Method of forming bungs



June 19, 1945. G, w LAWTON 2,378,713

l ,METHOD oF FORMING BUNGS Filed March 2o, 1941 Patented June1a1945 i 2,378,713

2,318,713 METHOD oFFoRMINe UNGs George W.,Ilav1rton,r Cincinnati, Ohio,fassignor to` `The United States Bung ManufacturingCompYany, Cincinnati, Ohio, acorporation of New lork AppueationMareh'zo,1941,serie1'No.3s4,s9of e ,Y ,e t Y y r2 claims.` (c1. 1114-309.)1 l l Y .1 e e This invention is concerned with improvements reason, the Ablankswill tend to rspring backfun inthe method ofy compressing and tapering equally aftercompression,l and, in 'many/in ITED sTATEls PATENT lliotg;l

' f :Wooden bungs for'barrels, drumsecasks, and the stances, a bung which has been completely forced like. My copending application which has. now intothe die will be an unt, commercial product matured into United States Patent No. l2,283,331 `5 because afterremoved from the die, its sides will is speciiically 4directed to apparatus useful in the have sprungback to such a degree that it will not 4practice of the method of the present invention. t vinto the opening ,fonvvhich it is intended.v This same/apparatus is illustrated in the 'draw- Likev'vise, a particularly soft blank will be ing forming apart of this application, but' only l rammed into the base of the die with consider-j as atrepresentative instrumentality with which able force, thus compressing andsometimesmar- `the methods oflthe present invention may be ring and splitting the endof the bung. The practiced. Thls application is 'a continuation in number of .culls resulting from this "method is part of-.the application on Iwhichtmy aforesaid veryhigh and constitutes a real problem in the United StatesePatent No. 2,2.83,331.issue d. bung industry. 1-; j

`It hasflong .been known theta very effective It has been4 the concept of thepresent invenseal for oontainersintended to holdliquids, such tionto provide a method of compressing and tayas barrels or casks, may be formedby'inserting pering a. wooden bung blank in which the coni'- .a compressed and tapered woodenbung into an pression and taper will be applied in a series opening' off corresponding size and shape. This of comparatively easy-stages, as distinguished isbecause thefliquid'in thefcontainer contacting zofrom ,the single harsh dieing operation., With e ythe .inner endgof the bung` will cause it to swell, this principal end in view, o ne ofthe objects of vparticularlyWhere the surfaces have beencomthe t present invention has been to provide a .pressed.t; If not conilned by the*I sidesrv ofathe method of tapering and compressing. Wooden 0penin8,. the bung would return to its original bung blanks in which the compression will be ap- -Shpef "HOWeVel'fSnCe the Swelling takes Place 25'plied to the sides of the :blank only, and not par- `whileitlie confined, the Vresultant flt ofthe hung tieny to the'ehd as is the oase in other methods.

Vin the opening is avery tight'one. l

. Another object ofthe invention has been to In the Dratice 0f methOdSfnOW' in use, a bung provide a `method of compressing and a tapering '.-blankcis 'rStf01'med from a board 0f the 4.wooden bung .blanks in which the compression quired diameter. usually by cutting with e hol- 3 will be. applied in a series of distihetstages below-mounted chisel or brewing' This blank vtween whiehthe mehr wiupefreefromoomprea t Wm be i'umferentiauy 'Toundand nati on the sion so that the wood fibers may springback to ends withfstraight, thatis, untapered, sides.` In some extent before the next compression aporderto, compress and taper. the sidesto form e plied. y i u y the completely compressed andftaperedbung, it Another object of theinvenon has been .to iSneCeSSarY tOaDPlY PTeSSU-l'e 5.0 .the sldes 0f .the provide a methodA ofA tapering and compressing `b12mk` v T0 Q btain a tapfer Pressure 'must be un' wooden bung 'blanks in which it is possible toapequal; that 1s, yprogressively greater toward the ply a predetermined degreefof taper .much more 'top or bottomf the blatlk In accordance .with 4 accurately than has been the case with earlier vmethods-now 1n use, this l1s done yby the .single 0 methods. e e e, e operano? 'of' forclbly- Jamtnmg 'the blank mm a', Another object has been to provide a method {mm1-31@delgyrlogutga in which the taper @s apphed gradoauy, and the txllien be tapered tossubstantially the'rdegree oi inpossiblmy iof spittmg the Wood' 1S to' a' great tent elim nate '1 ohnation of the walls of theme.y The bienhwni ex e then be :a `vcompletely `tapered and compressed other and further vobJeCts 71,111 apparent bm* im te timer f ei eesjt r of o e 1nven on w c e However' the correspondence or the deg ee with the drawing which illustrates a preferred t r of the bun to the degree of inclination of te sides of the drie is more theoretical than real. form 0I apparatus that is adapted t0 Practice the A11 .wood ytenes .to spring back after compression method of the invention.

o! anyy sort has been applied. Diierent woods In the drawing:

differ greatly in moisture content, arrangement Figure 1 yis a iront elevation of the apparatus and strength of fibers, and one lot of the same showing a three-unit assembly with the gate Wood will dilIer greatly from another. For this closure of two of the units open to illustrate the passage of the bungs through a continuous passageway.

Figure 2 is an end view of the apparatus. Figure 3 is a section of line 3-3 of .Figure 1. Figure 4 is a side elevation of a bung blank. Figure 5 is a side elevation of a bung blank after it has passed through the rst stage of compression; f

Figure 6 is a side elevation 0f a bung blank after it has passed through the second stage of compression. l l Figure '7-is a side elevation of a completed bung. In this apparatus, I is a base plate which serves as one surface of the blank passageway and to which various of the other elements areattached.; The units which are all substantially identical, comprise curved die surfaces having tapered walls 2, revolving rolls 3. and closure means, such as the completed through successive units, but since the walls of the passageway become closer together in each succeeding unit the compression will be increased as the bung progresses. Likewise, since the degree of inclination of the walls of the roll and the curved die surfaces is greater in succeeding units, the degree of taper applied to the bung will be correspondingly increased in the particular apparatus illustrated. When the bung has passed through the terminal unit, it will come out the opening 8.

It will benoted that the apparatus described compresses the bung in a series of more or less gentle compressing operations, as distinguished from 'the harsh methods now in vogue. It will also be noted that the pressure is applied to the gate 4. A completely enclosed'passageway is formed in each unit between the surface ofthe base plate I, the inner surface of the gate or closure member 4', and the side'wallsofy the roll 3l andthe die 2. The walls of the roll and die are at the same degree of inclination from the base ineach unit, but may be at a greater degree in succeeding units in order tey increase the taper applied to the blanks as they progress through the passageway. However, it is not absolutely necessary to provide this progressive degree of inclination.

The rol13 is xed uponA an end of ar shaft jourl nalled Within a bearing in the front plate and withinl a bearing in a rea-r plate II- Joined to the front plate by cross strips I2.` A gear I`3-is xed upon the shaft I0 intermediate of thefrontan'd rear plates and preferably is *ofvl a. diameter to permit its teeth to mesh with a corresponding gear of a second unit' to entrain thegearsvofa series of units, the end gear ofthe train being in mesh with a driving'gear I 4 driv,en from some suitable source of power. f

By this method" of gear trainl transmission the gear I3l of one unit rotates in an alternate-direction from that ci' its next adjoining unit or'units which permits the relative positioningrof the sevP eral units so that the blanksfollow a-serpentine l course as they pass from one unit to another,.and no sharp corners which might obstructtheirpassageare presented at anypoint in the course.V

The' blanks 5 are'rst inserted in the opening .6.

In the preferred construction of the apparatus,

the walls of the roll andthe curved .die surfaces in this rstunit .(not shown). will be spaced apart barely suificientlyiforthe entrance of the. blank. The turning of the roll 3 rotates the blank and,

at the same time, compresses it: between the inclined walls4 While it is closely. confined between series of tapering operations,

the inner surface of the closure. element 4 .and the face of the base plate I. As shown,r the .bung progresses through the rst unit until it reaches a position between the nrst and second units. At i this point, the bung passesV between the ,statipnary guide elements 1-1 (one of these is concealed by the gate) where it is out of contact with` any roll so that it is no longer under compression. The sides of the passage at this point. should be suiiciently large to permit thebung t0 drop by gravity to the next unit. The same operation is sides only, and that after compression the bers of the wood are given an opportunity to spring back before further compression is applied.

As illustrated in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, the bung blank starts out with sides that are perpendicular tothe base plate. As it proceeds the taper is gradually applied and by the same operation the sides are compressed. When it emerges from the passageway, as shown in Figure 7 it is a completely tapered and compressed bung.

Although the apparatus describedisuseful and` effective Vin practicing the method, there are .doubtless other types and kinds of apparatus with which the method could be vpracticed equally effectively. It .mayralsobe practiced by hand; for example, by successively inserting blanks under pressure in` a series of dieshavingside walls of progressive inclination, the dies themselves being of progressivelyv smaller size.v Doubtless, other Ways of. practicingthe method will suggest themselves'to those skilled in the art.

Having'described my invention, I. desire to be' limited only by the ensuing claims:

1. The method offorming abung whichcom, prises Ysubjecting .acylindrical wooden blank toa V applying pressure radiahy uponfthe blank in such mannerthat the blankis. converted froma cylindrical form .toa frusto-conical form, with theipress'ure applied upon the `blank iny .each operation remaining uniform throughout' that operation but increasing from operation kto'operation for vprogressive compression of the blank.` f

A2. The method of forming a bung which com- -prises subjecting a substantially .cylindrical -wooden bung blank to a series of individual stages `of compression` in-each ofwhich Apressure is applied radially upon thev 'circumferenceof the blank, vthe pressure applied upon theircumference ofthe `blank :duri-ng each stage being greater adjacent oneface of the vblank lthan at the other -face but lremaining uniform throughout each stage, but withthe greater pressure vsuccessively increasingffrom stageto stage whereby the frustor-conicality of the blank becomes accentuated as vthe blank progresses 4from stageA 4to stage, while the' maintenance of the uniform pressure during -each stage permitsl the iibresof the blank to become 'set before -being subjected. tothe -next successive pressure-operation.

GEORGE W. aAw'roN. 

